The present invention relates to a connector having a shell (ground plate) for preventing EMI (electromagnetic interference) and, more particularly, to achieving a thin type of connector.
Firstly, a prior art connector as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. (Hei) 10-270125 is described with reference to FIG. 1. The connector is constituted by a receptacle connector 51 and a plug connector 61. The receptacle connector 51 comprises a housing 52, a plurality of pine contacts 53 supported by the housing 52, and a shield cover 54 covering the housing 52. The plug connector 61 comprises a housing 62, a plurality of socket contacts 63 supported by the housing 62, and a shield cover 64 covering the housing 62. A projecting strip 63A of the shield cover 64 of the plug connector 61 makes contact with the inner face of the shield cover 54 of the receptacle connector 51. The lower portion of the shield cover 54 of the receptacle connector 51 is formed as a conductor pattern on a printed circuit board 66.
In the case of this prior art example, the plug connector 61 comprises two symmetrical three-layer structures comprising a shell, an insulator side wall and contacts, whilst the plug-side connector 51 has a structure where the respective three-layer structures are received on both sides of the contacts 53 thereof, respectively. Therefore, the thickness of the receptacle connector 51 is inevitably large. The height of the receptacle connector 51 above the printed circuit board 66 is taken as H1.
Next, another prior art receptacle connector as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. (Hei) 11-185883 is described with reference to FIG. 2. The receptacle connector 71 forming an I/O connector comprises a housing 72, a plurality of contacts 73 supported by a central projecting section of the housing 72, and a shield cover 74 covering the housing 72. This receptacle connector 71 can be connected to the plug connector illustrated in FIG. 1. Accordingly, the height H2 of the receptacle connector 71 above the printed circuit board is approximately the same as the height H1 in FIG. 1.
Next, a prior art connector for an FPC (flexible printed circuit board) is described with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5. The receptacle connector 81 is constituted by an insulator 82, a plurality of contacts 83 press-fitted in an aligned fashion into the insulator 82, ground contacts 86 confronting same, a first shell 84 press-fitted onto the lower portion of the insulator 82, and a second shell 85 press-fitted onto the upper face of the insulator 82.
The plug connector 91 connected to the FPC comprises an insulator 92, a plurality of contacts 93 press-fitted into the insulator 92, a ground plate 94 attached to the lower portion of the insulator 92, a shell 95 press-fitted onto the upper face of the insulator 92, and a slider 96 disposed slidably between FPC contact sections 93a of the contacts 93 and the ground plate 94. The insulator 92 comprises upper and lower side walls 92a and 92b forming an FPC inserting section, and a plate-shaped section 92c forming a coupling section for coupling with the receptacle connector. Each of the contacts 93 comprises an FPC contact section 93a projecting into the FPC inserting section, and a contact section 93b disposed above the aforementioned plate-shaped section 92c for connecting with a contact of the receptacle connector. The ground plate 94 is molded to the insulator 92 in such a manner that it extends from the upper face of the lower-side wall 92b of the insulator 92 to the lower face of the plate-shaped section 92c. 
In a state where the slider 96 is pulled out from the FPC inserting section, an FPC is inserted between the FPC contact sections 93a of the contacts and the ground plate 94, whereupon, by pressing the slider 96 back into position, the FPC is connected to the contacts 93, whilst also being prevented from being removed readily.
In this FPC connector 91, the coupling section inevitably has a large thickness, since it comprises three layers formed in the vertical direction, namely, the contact sections 93b of the contacts, the plate-shaped section 92c of the insulator, and the ground plate 94. Consequently, the receptacle connector 81 coupling with same naturally has a large thickness.
In a prior art plug connector, since the coupling section comprises a two-stage, upper and lower, three-layer structure comprising contacts, an insulator and a shell (ground plate), then a receptacle connector connecting to same inevitably has a large thickness.
Moreover, although the coupling section of the plug connector comprises a three-layer structure of a ground plate, contacts and an insulator, the coupling section of the receptacle connector receiving same must comprise an insulator, contacts, ground contact, and shell, and hence has a larger thickness.
Therefore, it is one object of the present invention to devise a structure whereby the thickness of the section of the aforementioned receptacle connector which couples with a plug connector can be reduced. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a plug connector wherein the thickness of the coupling section which couples with the aforementioned receptacle connector is reduced.
According to the present invention, a connector of a thin type having a composition as described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 12 below is obtained.
1. A receptacle connector of a thin type characterized in that said receptacle connector comprises an insulator formed in a frame shape, and a plurality of contacts fixed to said insulator, and that one of the pair of opposing side walls of the connector constituting a section for coupling with a plug connector is formed by a first shell made from metal while the other side wall is integrally molded with said insulator.
2. The receptacle connector of a thin type according to 1 above, characterized in that a plurality of bend sections formed on one side edge of said first shell are molded in said insulator.
3. The receptacle connector of a thin type according to 2 above, characterized in that a second shell made from metal is layered over the outer surface of said other side wall, and connection is made between connecting sections of said first shell and connecting sections of said second shell.
4. The receptacle connector of a thin type according to 3 above, characterized in that each of said plurality of contacts comprises a section for attaching to the insulator, a cantilever shaft section extending forwards from said attaching section, a contact section at the front end thereof, and a terminal section extending rearwards from said cantilever shaft section, a plurality of contact receiving grooves being formed in parallel fashion in the inner face of said side wall of said insulator, whereby the respective cantilever shaft sections of said contacts fit into respective contact receiving grooves with a play, said contact sections projecting towards said first shell from said contact receiving grooves.
5. The receptacle connector of a thin type according to 4 above, characterized in that the side wall of said insulator forms the base portion of said contact receiving grooves and comprises through holes of smaller dimension than the contact sections of said contacts, provided in the portion thereof opposing the contact sections of said contacts.
6. The receptacle connector of a thin type according to 4 above, characterized in that the side wall of said insulator forms the base portion of said contact receiving grooves, slits of smaller width than that of the contact sections of said contacts being formed at least in the portion thereof opposing the contact sections of said contacts.
7. The receptacle connector of a thin type according to 2 above, characterized in that said plurality of contacts and said plurality of bend sections in said first shell are disposed in a zigzag fashion in said insulator.
8. The receptacle connector of a thin type according to 4 above, characterized in that insulating tape or an insulating coating is provided on the surface of said first shell opposing said contacts.
9. A plug connector of a thin type having a plug-side coupling section which is introduced into the coupling section of the receptacle connector according to 4 above, characterized in that said plug-side coupling section comprises a plug-side insulator plate member, and plug-side contacts having plug-side contact sections embedded in one surface of said plate member with the surface thereof being exposed, in such a manner that they form contact with the contact sections of said receptacle-side contacts.
10. The plug connector of a thin type according to 9 above, characterized in that said plug connector is a connector for connecting an FPC (flexible printed circuit), comprising a plug-side insulator, the rearward portion of which is formed in a frame shape and the front portion of which incorporates said plate-shaped section, and a plurality of said plug-side contacts fixed to said plug-side insulator, and that one of the pair of opposing side walls forming the FPC inserting section for connecting to said FPC is formed by a first plug-side shell made from metal while the other side wall is integrally molded with said plug-side insulator, the contact sections of said plug-side contacts for connecting with the FPC being exposed inside said FPC inserting section.
11. The plug connector of a thin type according to 10 above, characterized in that said first plug-side shell comprises a plurality of shell terminal sections formed on the front edge thereof, said shell terminal sections being embedded in the rear face of said plate-shaped section of said plug-side insulator and being disposed in a zigzag fashion with the plug-side contact sections of said plug-side contacts in said plate-shaped section.
12. The plug connector of a thin type according to 11 above, characterized in that a second plug-side shell made from metal is layered over the outer surface of the side wall constituted by said plug-side insulator of said FPC inserting section, and a slider is engaged with and retained by said first plug-side shell in such a manner that it may slide in and out of said FPC inserting section, over said first plug-side shell.